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Symmachus Drisdhaun
"Whoooo, southern spies!" Symmachus Drisdhaun was a notable member of the Heroes of the Nentir and later a Captain in the Medegar military. Well versed in swordplay, stealth, and magic, Symmachus was a fierce warrior and a fiercer lover. Symmachus was killed on January 4th, 1802 AGC, while the Heroes of the Nentir were attempting to disable an arcane barrier the Drow armies of Malatestra created over the Nentir Vale. Biography Symmachus Drisdhaun was a drow adventurer born on March 16th of 1773 AGC to Khel'Nozz and Chad'zyna Drisdhaun. Symmachus was a rare breed of drow, being born outside of a Drow controlled society, albeit barely. Not wanting to raise a child in such an environment, Khel'Nozz and Chad'zyna chose to flee the Underdark stronghold of Malatestra with the help of friend and ally, Balok Grymlaer. His birth was marked by dogged pursuit by Malatestran priestess of Lolth by the name of Narcelia Theraphosia, who, upon failure to capture or kill the turncoat Drisdhauns, swore vengeance upon the recently born child. Shortly after his birth, his family found refuge and a seemingly simple life the Shallow's city of Seven Pillared Hall. His early years were equal parts training and schooling in swordplay, stealth, alchemy, biology and geography by both his father and local entrepreneur, Gendarr. Becoming bored and almost lonely in the Hall, Symmachus turned to both a local elven seamstress and the domestication of a comman rat, which he affectionately named "Smothers" due to his ability to swallow small objects of value. The rat became his near constant companion and aided him in many ways, from scouting to thievery, to even helping in combat. In late 1799, acompanying Gendarr on a "routine intelligence gathering merchant mission" within the hall, Symmachus found himself face to face with the Ordinator Arcanis. The details of the encounter reamain somewhat unclear, as Symmachus remembers little of the incident. "I tumbled out a second story window, and saw Gendarr fall behind me, rather gracefully for an unconscious man. I looked up and saw only a cold, metal face. In an instant I was not only upright, but floating, dangling above the ground. There was a flash of light, green at first, then every color imaginable. And a face. I'll never forget this face, a face that I can't quite remember. My mind exploded, and I believe I was truly born." Symmachus awoke the next morning on a cot in Gendarr's store. Whatever happened that night with the Ordiantor Arcanis, it awakened a previously dormant power within Symmachus, and after which he started manifesting arcane abilities and tendencies. Smothers was destroyed in the incident but, for reasons Symmachus doesn't fully understand returned to him in the form of an arcane familiar. By the age of 28, Symmachus longed to see the world, and give his family a life beyond their meager circumstances. For good or ill, he received this opportunity in late April of 1801 AGC. In the early hours of the 24th, his father was taken prisoner by a band of slave trading hobgoblins called the Bloodreavers. Having become a fairly accomplished swordsman with minor arcane abilites, he intended to, against all caution, stage a rescue on his own. He was stopped shortly before departing by a group of adventurers. Among them were Io Everlore, Merric the Merrymaker, Rain, and Tivaan Tiyagi, who, coincidentally, were also pursuing the Bloodreavers. He opted to join them, and together they defeated the the Bloodreavers, but unfortunately, his father was nowhere to be found. After questioning one of the recently freed slaves, they learned only that Khel'Noz had been "taken, in the night. By a dark man." After systematically destroying the perpetrators of the slave ring, Symmachus and the Heroes left the Hall and eventually tracked his father to Medegar. After his kidnapper was unveiled as Iroan, the Heroes freed Khel'Noz and left to confront Iroan. After pursuing him into the city's sewers, a rash Io attacked Iroan, and the battle ended with the collapse of the sewer system underneath the bay. The oncoming rush of ocean water caused one of the Heroes, Asher, to drown, and nearly take the rest. After reaching the surface, Symmachus saw Io stuggling to stay afloat, burdened with Iroan's dying body, and about to drown. Using Iroan's small remaining lifeforce, Symmachus enacted a spell that tranfered the life to Io, giving him the vitality needed the reach the shore. After the collapse of the sewer, Symmachus and companions were faced with vigilantism charges against Medegar. Opting to remain in hiding rather then face the prison sentence, Symmachus trained extensively with the shadow guild, honing new found increased magical abilities, while Tivaan took the fall. The heroes, having forged something of a friendship with Chief Inspector of Unusual Occurences and Oddities, Samos Isdena, were able to talk the prison sentence down to mere weeks. Symmachus visited Tivaan in prison often, but Tivaan was still really rude to Symmachus after he was released. After the Heroes success in ending the threats of Borak, Ravden and Roth, Symmachus arragned a series of meetings with Medegarian Grand General Anris and put forth his own name as a potential commander of SpecLeg. Quickly gaining support, Symmachus was named commander of SpecLeg and a captain in the Medegar military on Spetember 27th 1801 AGC. Weapons and Equipment Symmachus was known to employ an extremely large variety of magical weapons, trinkets and alchemical items in his adventures. Having been taught the science and art of alchemy from a young age, Symmachus was able to craft deadly explosives and poisons, various weapon-augmenting oils and elemental coatings, and healing salves and potions. He was known to adeptly use pairs and combinations of shortswords and daggers in melee combat, and even occasionally wield an ornate elven-made bastard sword designed specifically for use in combat magic. He most commonly wielded both the Blade of U'therine paired with a nameless drow-make dagger that had the most unsavory ability to sap the victim's life force. In ranged combat Symmachus would use a hand crossbow made from rare ebony and even rarer drangon bone. The mounted bow was fitted with a wicked blade for surprising melee attacks. He would also use a black greatbow made by fletchers of the Ravden vampire clan fitted with special sighting modifications and powerful enchantments to strike from great distances exceeding three hundred feet. Relationships and Organizations "Haldryn is useful" "He's also a friend" "I don't view the world through that lense" "Most unfortunate for you" -Exchange between Thruum Kor'ush and Symmachus Symmachus was a crucial member of the Heroes of the Nentir and he particaped in all their adventures following the destruction of the Bloodreaver's slave syndicate. Through his time with them, Symmachus became very close friends with Tivaan Tiyagi, Merric, Io Everlore, and Thruum Kor'ush (known only to him as Voporal). In combat Symmachus worked particularly well with Tivaan, as they complemeted each other (nice one, Symmachus!). With Io, there was something of a love-hate relationship, along with a lot of stolen gold (though it should be noted that Symmachus maintained a net gain). Symmachus had multiple important father and fatheresque figures. Among them were his biological father Khel'Noz, Shadow Guild leader Gendarr, and adventuring companion and tactician Voporal, all of whom influenced his development as both a commander and a warrior. Through Gendarr, Symmachus became associated with the Shadow Guild and often operated on it's behalf. While working and training with the organization, Symmachus began identifying arcane talents simliar to his own and aided multiple Shadow Guild members with nurturing their inborn power. His first protege, and later good friend, was Haldryn. Category:Characters